Faith, Love and Respect for ALL

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Please prayerfully consider helping us in raising these funds to get Aaliyah’s dog. A seizure dog will allow Aaliyah to have more freedom. It will be able to accompany her everywhere and alert others if she is having a seizure; hopefully, even the ones that we can’t detect.

Last week I shared our first guest post, which was submitted by a dear friend. Why We Need A Seizure Alert Dog inspired me to jump into our next Community Project. The Jest_Tu_Positive Life will be assisting in fundraising efforts to help Aaliyah get her Seizure Alert Dog, as soon as possible.

After researching several possibilities, I decided the first fundraiser I would like to attempt would be T-Shirts showing support for this extraordinary girl and the wonderful organization, which holds the power to change her life.

Thankfully, a friend recommended Booster for the fundraiser. Their staff is very thorough and great to work with. The best part is that when the campaign closes, they will deposit the funds directly to 4 Paws fundraising page for Aaliyah.

Here is the T-Shirt design, which has been approved by Aaliyah’s family and 4 Paws for Ability.

I wanted to put all the ABC’s Autism Style entries into one post, so they can easily be viewed from A to Z. I am overjoyed to complete this project, because I can see how my writing has evolved in the past 16 months. This has been a wonderful project, which challenged me on many levels, and has provided me with a strong foundation for my next endeavor.

A HUGE Thank You to Marie for always believing in me, proofreading posts (when I had no confidence in myself), and honoring me with her perpetual support and inspiration. I love you Marie, and I would not be here without you, I thank God everyday for blessing me with such an extraordinary friend.

Zeal is a perfect term to describe how Autistic people approach many aspects of life. When a person hones in on their Special Interests, they ignite a desire to learn everything about those topics. Autistic individuals zealously pursue their interests because knowledge, understanding, and experience in these areas provide them comfort and joy. These special interests can be utilized as a way of educating and teaching new concepts to children with Autism. When an Adult with Autism obtains work pertaining to their area of expertise, they become extremely valuable members of the companies they work for, and the communities in which those businesses operate.

When I observe members of the Autism community, I envy their ability to remain passionate about their interests, despite what life may throw their way. This quote by Edmond Mbiaka, is the best way I can convey my admiration for Autistic people, because they instinctively do what most of us struggle to achieve:

“We are all born with some great abilities to excel in all circumstances, but unfortunately, negative thoughts always tend to blindfold a lot of people from realizing their true potential in life. However, anyone can take back their true destiny by always challenging every thought that doesn’t keep their mind fully focused on the prize ahead.”

The Autistic adults in the world, like our children today, struggled with learning according to society’s standards of typical education. For all the negative thoughts and actions people have directed toward them, they remain passionate about the things they love, because they do not look at life the way most people do. It is an amazing gift, which should be treasured and applauded. We must be ever diligent to not change an Autistic person to fit societal norms, but simply assist them in learning how to navigate the world on their terms. Ignacio Estrada stated it perfectly: “If a child can’t learn the way we teach; maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

As a parent of an extraordinary Autistic child, I am thankful for the different angles I now see the world from. I would not have these unique views without Beth and her amazing gifts, which stem from her Autism. Her road may not always be easy, and she will face all kinds of ugly in the world; however, she will persevere and she will remain passionate and full of life, because she is Au-Some.

Zeal “Our Way” is defined as: “One of the many blessings of having Autism, because it allows the Autistic individual to always explore and cherish the subjects that speak to their heart, which brings them and those around them an immense joy.”

Since I lack the time to write something wonderful about my Husband and Our Marriage, to celebrate our 8th Anniversary today, I am going to simply share the image I created. The image pretty much says it all; however, since everything I wrote last year still applies, you can also read my thoughts on Our Marriage in last years post for our 7th Anniversary.

Today I feel Blessed and Thankful for all the good and bad times we have seen in the past 8 years, because at the end of the day we know that we are in this together, always and forever.

Celebrating 8 years of Marriage to my wonderful Husband.I am extremely proud and thankful to be his Wife.

Sunday morning I was listening to my favorite radio station, K-Love, and was blessed to hear the entire K-Love Fan Awards Worship Service. The message given by Alex Kendrick was powerful and left me with a level of serenity and confidence, which I have not felt in quite sometime.

I was touched on a deep spiritual level as Mr. Kendrick spoke about Matthew 14:13 – 33. During the course of his sermon, everything I was seeking guidance for, ceased to be a mystery. Alex stated the answer several times throughout his wonderful devotion:

Faith Believes. Doubt Does Not.

Faith Prays.Doubt Does Not.

Faith Acts.Doubt Does Not.

I was so inspired by his message of Faith versus Doubt, I created an image to spread this extraordinarily Powerful Message. Always remember, God provides ALL through Faith; we simply need to Believe, Pray and Act with an open heart.

Thank You Alex Kendrick and K-Love for helping me emerge from the mists and once again see my path clearly through the shining light of Faith.

The background image is property of Lindsey Schultz, who graciously granted permission for use to Jest_Tu_Positive.

Every time there is a devastating event in our country, there seems to be two extremes among people. You have those who jump right in and give 110% to help; and then you have those who cannot fathom helping strangers. Thankfully, most of America seems to be somewhere in between these two extremes, which allows us to come together and help people in need nationwide, when they need it the most.

The most recent natural disaster in the United States left thousands homeless in Oklahoma. Normally I would not get involved beyond praying, because we live paycheck to paycheck, and there never seems to be enough money for things around here. Then I realized something: waiting to have enough money/time to help those in need, is just like waiting to have enough money to have children; if you wait until you have enough you will never do it, because there never seems to be enough these days. You do what you can, and you have pride that you did something from the heart, simply to help someone in need.

Mary Carroll, who is an amazing inspiration, just returned from a supply run to Oklahoma where she met and helped many extraordinary people, puts it perfectly:

I’m really touched and thankful for all the messages of encouragement I’ve received the past few days. But truthfully, I am not anything but an AMERICAN that believes that in time of need we have to take care of each other. We have a badass military that will go all over the world to ensure our safety, but when disaster happens here, it’s the responsibility of every one of us to look after our AMERICAN brothers and sisters. Not everyone can get up and go, with no notice, to assist physically, but everybody can do SOMETHING. From donating a couple cases of water or food, throwing in $20 for gas, sending a mom some diapers, and DONATING BLOOD. It may seem like just a small contribution, but if everybody did the smallest thing, collectively we can make something really big happen for some people that lost absolutely everything.

The people affected by the storms and tornadoes in Oklahoma have lost their homes, and many of the day-to-day essentials, which most of us tend to take for granted. They may have lost all their material possessions, but they are survivors and have an abundance of faith. Even as they sit amongst the rubble of their communities, they are filled with an appreciation for the simple things in life and a willingness to help their neighbors; which matches nothing most of us have ever witnessed. Mary reported one day: “The hospitality and graciousness of these OK people is second to none.”

If you think you cannot make a difference, please know that you can, and it does not have to be a grand gesture. You can pray, share resources such as donation sites, donate $1 or $5, collect items needed, etc… It is not about the quantity of help, but the quality of love behind it. In the words of one resident from Oklahoma City: “How much can you thank somebody? The generosity is unbelievable and it just brings you to tears to know so many people care. We are just thankful we are alive.”

This is why we choose to help strangers, because it is simply the right thing to do; and it reminds us that every little bit of positive, loving energy we put out into the world helps perpetuate the change we want to see in the world.

To Autism With Love is doing what they do best, they are helping families in need. One of their admins lives very close to the devastation caused by storms and tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma. She has committed to helping those effected by the storms and their path of destruction. As part of their Oklahoma Recovery Project, TAWL is requesting assistance to collect desperately needed items to aide families who are displaced by the storms.

Normally, I am not one to volunteer or jump in to offer help, because our life is not conducive to such things. Every time I have attempted to organize or assist in something to benefit others, I have had to back out before completion, and end up feeling like I failed everyone. I vow to make this time different, and I will complete the task, because the families in Oklahoma deserve it!

Fortunately, there is already an extraordinary group of people in Chicago, who go out and help those in need after natural disasters. They left for their first run to Moore today, but will be back to collect more donations before leaving again on June 10th to return to Oklahoma and deliver fresh supplies. They have agreed to take all that I can collect, on their next trip.

The group here in Chicago, as well as TAWL and all their supporters, are truly Angels who walk among us. Please help them give the gift of love, support and hope to the many families living amongst devastation. If you are in the Chicagoland area, I am willing to pick up donations, and deliver them to this wonderful group, before they head out for their second run. I will need all donations by Friday June 7th, so that I can deliver them on Saturday June 8th. You can contact me at Jest_Tu_Positive@yahoo.com or via our FaceBook page.

If you are not in the Chicagoland area, but would like to donate items or funds, please visit TAWL’s Website or FaceBook Page. Also, if you are a page admin and would like to get involved with TAWL’s efforts, please contact them at tawlawarenessproject@gmail.com.

Also The Oklahoma Relief Run crew is in desperate need of gas cards. They are hoping to take several trucks on the June 10th run, which will require thousands of dollars in gas to get them there and back, while helping with clean-up efforts. **Fundraising link is live**

May God bless all those affected by the destruction in Oklahoma. May His Angels watch over and guide all the wonderful people who are willing to help these families rebuild their lives; and move forward surrounded by love, support and hope.

**Additional Note: Donations of gently used clothing will also be accepted. Please wash it before donating, and I will gladly come pick it up.**

***Link added for Oklahoma Relief Run, the group from Chicago who will be delivering items from all the generous people in the Chicagoland area.***